SOTF: Battles Won, Battles Lost

Backstage during Loaded, one very tense individual can be seen. Although, I shouldn’t really say that since nobody can really see her. She is sitting in a janitor’s closet, for fear of being seen by her brother. Cramped in her tiny space, she sits, awaiting for the outcome of the main event tonight, which involves her brother. Alicia Bennett’s shoulders are on edge as she grips her laptop that is showing the WFWF Loaded Live Stream (which is totally a thing). The light of the laptop is the only thing illuminating the room, and Alicia struggles with the hairs on a mop that keep tickling her face.

“Although, the team of Raider and Ace Bennett certainly have one thing going for them, aside from their skill level, that is. Ripp Jackson and Thunder can’t win a match. Thunder hasn’t won a match since the….”

The match was starting. Her brother was out in the ring awaiting their opponents for the night, who she knew would give him a challenge. She hoped that he would be wore out so that the shock would have more effect on him. While she was still iffy on the concept of shocking her brother in effort to save him from himself, it was her last resort. She had worked it out with Brad, his tag team partner, that it would go down after the match. It was her one and only chance.

On the screen she sees Ace smash Ripp Jackson in the shoulders with a steel chair in an effort to save his partner from a beating from him. He can be a good guy sometimes, but boy, did it scare her when she saw him with that chair. It reminded her of the times when he would show ruthlessness towards those men that he left in bloody heaps. When he choked people out with steel chains until they were unconscious. She knew that her brother would never be capable of such heinous acts if it weren’t for the fact that he wasn’t on his medication.

“And of course he’s the first one bleeding.”

No one could hear her, so why not talk to herself? She knew the time was going to be coming soon for her to pull out the switch from her bag and send an electric current through her brother, effectively shutting down his body long enough to get him to Dr. Schwartz to re-medicate him. She knew it sounded crazy, anyone she asked said it sounded crazy, but what was she supposed to do.

“Ace don’t kill yourself.”

He was going to kill himself or someone else had he kept it up. It was a surprise that he hadn’t yet. She watches the match with full attention to what’s going on and watches as the four men involved put their bodies on the line for the tag team championships. She watches Ace climb the ladder, with Thunder nearby.

“Ace don’t even think about it.”

What was the use? He was gonna do it anyways. He had that look again, the look where he is going to seriously injure somebody. He then proceeded to wrap his legs around Thunder’s head and pull back, hitting the Syracuse Drop. Alicia gasped as she looked at the carnage that was laid out after that move, her brother and Thunder now heaps on the floor. She saw that he was moving, and let out a sigh of relief. Why he thought that would be a good idea, she had no idea. She watched then as Raider and Jackson battled it out for the belts, with Raider getting the upper hand and winning the match for the two of them. Alicia was happy on the inside, but wanted to make sure her brother was okay. She was happy to see Raider lay the belt over her brother, a hard fought victory. And she was thrilled to see that her brother was soon to get up and follow in the steps of his partner.

“It’s time.”

A jolt of electricity shot down Alicia’s spine as she got an adrenaline rush. She knew what had to be done, and she knew it was now time to do it. She grabs her purse, turns off the feed while Xavier Pierce is talking about some crap that doesn’t matter, and leaves the janitor’s closet, looking for her brother.

---

It was after Loaded. The cameras had stopped rolling and the ring crew had begun to pack up. It was a particularly difficult job this time around, because of the main event of this edition of Loaded. Broken tables, dented chairs, mangled ladders, all littered the general vicinity of the wrestling ring. A war had been fought in this ring on this night, a war which saw Ace Bennett and Raider walk away with the WFWF Tag Team Championships. A war which ended a WFWF Hall of Famer’s career and put another up and coming star’s career on the line. A war that cemented the tag team’s place as the best in the company. Battered and bloody, Ace and Raider make their way backstage, their newly won gold straps in their hands. The two men look at each other, too exhausted to exchanged words. A pronounced limp in both of their walks, Raider makes his way to the locker room door, looking back at his partner and giving him a smile and a nod. Ace returned the gesture, and gave Raider a slap on the back. With a turn of the door knob, Raider cracks the door open.

“CONGRATULATIONS!!!”

The sound of it all makes Ace cringe. Really? Raider’s friends had to go out of their way for a party? Entering the room, Ace sees a big set up, streamers, champagne, the works. It looked kind of funny, the vibrant party decorations among the drab locker room. Ace put on his smile, and decided to play along tonight. It WAS his second championship win in the company after all. Raider’s agent Aiden hands Ace a glass of champagne, and gives him a rough pat on the shoulder. Ace winces with pain, the battle from the match previously still etched on his face.

“Oh, God. I’m so sorry I wasn’t even thinking. Are you alright man?”

“Just a little sore. Flying across the ring through ladders and stuff will do that to a guy.”

“True story, true story. Well, congrats man! Enjoy it.”

“Thanks, but I don’t drink. And I have other things on my mind right now.”

“Oh c’mon man, you gotta let loose for just one night! This was a big win for you!”

“Maybe later.”

Ace walks away from Aiden before he can continue to speak. He wasn’t much for talking now. His mind was in Las Vegas. Survival of the Fittest. David Brennan. A WFWF World Heavyweight Championship opportunity. The tag team championship was not of importance at this moment, as he had bigger fish to fry. Ace looked around, all of Raider’s friends and none of his. Not that he really had any to begin with other than his reflection, if you’d call him a friend. He looked towards the mirror that was fastened on the locker room wall. He hadn’t really interfered much tonight, and his aggressiveness was really beginning to wear off on himself. The reflection simply nodded at him, giving him reign over his own body for the night. He scanned the party for Brad, for Raider. It wasn’t until he had looked around for a while that he realized that the man was sitting right beside him, having just about as much fun as he was. Clearly, he had other things on his mind too. Ace stood up and walked over to the opposite side of the bench where his only friend sat. A smile cracks over Ace’s face, as he can see the type of time that Raider is having.

“Some party huh?”

“Yeah, totally. They always do this. And nine times out of ten, I don’t want them too.”

“No worries man, it was a pretty big win for us. Tag champs, huh?”

“Don’t get me wrong, it’s really awesome that I’ve got gold back around my waist. I just have a different belt on my mind right now.”

“You and me both.”

“It’s going to be an interesting one, that’s for sure.”

“One possibility sounds especially intriguing to me.”

Raider looks up at Ace, knowing exactly what he is talking about. If the two of them both win come Survival of the Fittest, they will be pitted against each other for Raider’s WFWF World Heavyweight Championship. The two exchange smiles, reminiscing on their match at IT’S SUPER EFFECTIVE! and the subsequent bond they formed from it. It was a match that changed the progress of Ace’s career and launched him back to success. It was a match that brought Raider back to the company. And it was a match that could potentially happen again, and they both want it to. Ace looked down at his championship belt, and looked back up at Raider. Raider was looking off in the distance, across the room. His eyes were wide and he had a bit of a panicked look on his face.

“Something wrong man?”

“Uh, no. No not at all. Nothing’s wrong.”

Ace looked over to where Raider was looking. There were too many people to possibly see what Raider could see. People were chatting about whatever people chat about nowadays, and it had became quite clear to him that this party was just thrown for the sake of throwing a party. But then he saw it. And he knew that something was about to happen. The beautiful face of his sister, Alicia Bennett through the crowd, looking at him and Raider, trying to communicate something to his partner. His eyes grew wide as he felt himself losing control. His other half would simply not have it. Raider saw this and grabbed a hold of Ace before he could cut through the crowd. Alicia pulled some sort of switch out of her pocket as Ace now struggled with Raider, who had him in a full nelson. She pressed the button, terror now in Ace’s eyes. He heard a high pitched buzzing sound.

And then darkness.

---

“What just happened?”

Ace awakens in a trance. His vision is blurry as he lays flat on his back. Opening his eyes more fully, he realizes that bright lights shine down on his face, causing him to cover them in pain with his hands. He looks to his left and sees three parallel lines, all in different colors. They switched in color violent, giving him an uneasy feeling that he imagines an epileptic would have when watching that one episode of Pokemon with Porygon in it. If you don’t get that reference, then you’re not cool. The colors slowly start to settle and his vision clears as he looks beyond the lines to see chairs. Chairs everywhere. They are all empty. Ace sits up and examines his surroundings. He is in the arena where Loaded took place. He is in the center of the ring. He feels dizzy as he tries to stand up, using the ring ropes for support. Gaining his composure he closes his eyes and rubs them, wondering what is going on.

Upon opening his eyes, the arena is full. Every seat is filled with a wrestling fan. Ace looks around, stunned. The arena had filled in literally a blink of an eye. The fans that he made eye contact with were giving him a look of scorn. Boos filled the arena. Looking more closely, a referee now accompanied him in the ring. Cameras flashing and music booming through the speakers. Ace raised his arms like he normally does before a match, only to receive boos. He looks around, surprised at the fans reaction. He notices that all of the signs in the arena are pro-Ace Bennett. Confused as to why they are booing, he stands there. As he tries to exit the ring, the bell rings. He has a match? The fans silence as Keri Thames takes the microphone.

“The following contest is set for one fall. Introducing in the ring, Abe Cennett!”

Abe Cennett? Was something wrong? The arena fills with boos at the announcement of Abe Cennett. He looks around, confused as to what is going on. The pandemonium is beginning to get to him. His head starts to spin. Passing out sounds good right now. He brings his hands to his ears in an attempt to block it all out before “Over and Under” by Egypt Central blares over the loudspeaker and his jaw drops.

“And now, introducing, from Syracuse, New York. He weighs in at 180 pounds. He is one half of the WFWF Tag Team Champions. He is, Ace Bennett!”

And with that, the arena is empty again. Out from the entrance ramp walks out Ace Bennett, but it is not the Ace Bennett that is standing in the center of the ring. This is not the Ace Bennett that won the National Championship, or the one that beat Braden Munroe and Johnny Michaels, or the one that genuinely wanted a friendship with his tag team partner. No, this was the Ace Bennett that alienated himself from his sister, the only person who had truly cared about him. This was the Ace Bennett that had forged a friendship with Raider, only to further his own career. This was the Ace Bennett that broke his friend’s nose in fear of being ousted. This was the Ace Bennett that ended the careers of so many people, when it was not his place to do so. This Ace Bennett was responsible for bloodshed and pain that the Ace Bennett in the ring would never wish upon his worst enemy. “Over and Under” faded out as he walked down the ramp of the empty arena towards himself.

“Surprised to see me?”

[/i]

He looked around for a mirror, a reflection somewhere. How had he manifested himself in front of him, with his tag team championship belt draped around his waist? There were no mirrors, there were no puddles of water, and there were no screens. This was himself, standing in front of him, in the flesh. A cocky smile that he had grown to loathe grew across his face as he entered the ring, the two men now staring at one another, looking himself into his eyes.

“You really f***ed things up for us this time, huh?”[/i]

“I have no idea what you are talking about.”

A swift slap to the face. Never before had he been able to cause physical harm to himself. Sure, there was the mental torment he had subjected himself to, but never anything like this. This was real. This was the time when he’d have to stand up for himself.

“I should have saw this all coming. I should have known that your c*** of a sister would stick her nose into my business again.”[/i]

“Don’t you dare-”

A swift kick to the stomach stops him in his tracks. He collapses to the canvas as he looks up to the man who just delivered the kick.

“You do realize that I’m not the only one that this f***s right? You realize that you are in just as big of a s*** hole as I’m in right now right?”[/i]

He continues to kick himself in the stomach, and he can do nothing but take it. He lets out a groan of pain as he continues to get boots laid into him.

“I’m the reason you are where you are right now, buddy. Without me, you’re nothing. Without me, you’ll go back to losing every week. Without me, David Brennan is going to wipe the flow with your face. But I guess now you can be happy now. You can prance and frolic with Raider and Alicia all through the days, and The New Epoch can kick your ass in the meantime.”[/i]

He stands there, looking down at himself. He spits, disgusted at what he sees.

“You’re pathetic, you know that?”[/i]

“No.”

“What? I didn’t quite hear you.”[/i]

“You’re wrong.”

“I’m wrong?”[/i]

Ace tries to kick himself once again, but this time he is caught. He stands up, foot in hand staring at himself, a look of evil now across the good Ace’s face.

“Think before you do-”[/i]

He pulls his foot towards him, and clotheslines himself down to the mat, his own momentum nearly taking his head off. Breathing heavily, he now takes this opportunity to speak.

“Now you listen to me! You think I’m nothing without you! I’ll tell you this, I’d rather be nothing without you than something with you. The pain that you’ve unnecessarily caused to others makes me sick! At least I know I’m in control of my own actions now.”

On the ground, Ace wipes his mouth, surprised that he was taken off guard.

“But how do you know that these actions are your own? Once you get out of here, you’ll be put back on your medication. Who are you to say that what you are doing is truly what you want to do and you’re not at the mercy of some doctor or pill? Maybe I AM the true you. Ever think of that? Maybe you are this violent person who enjoys inflicting pain on others. Who gets pleasure out of ending the careers of insignificant parasites. As far as I’m concerned, you’re either with me, or you’re against yourself.” [/i]

“I know who I am.”

“Do you? Can you say that with one hundred percent certainty?”[/i]

“Yes. I am not a bad person.”

“Oh but you are, look at all of the bad things that you’ve done, all of the people that you’ve hurt.”[/i]

“I refuse to take responsibility for those actions. You were in control, not me.”

“The records show that it was. I mean, you could always tell everyone about me, and then get locked up in a mental hospital or something. And if you don’t want to take credit for it, I’ll be sure that I do when I’m the one that comes out of here with your body.”[/i]

He calmly picks himself from the canvas and brushes himself off. He removes the tag team championship belt from his waist and he takes a step towards himself. The two stare each other down. One is cautious, with one fist on the air, ready to strike at a given moment. The other is confident, a smile written across his face.

“Ring the bell.”[/i]

With that the crowd returns, and the referee calls for the bell. Caught off guard, Ace is easily beat down by his counterpart. A few kicks to the legs followed by a clothesline take him down for the first time. Pain begins to pour into him as he takes more and more punishment. The crowd cheers for Ace, as he continues to punish himself, hitting a number of his signature moves. However, whenever he goes for the pin fall, the true Ace refuses to give up. No matter how many times he goes after himself or how much pain he is in, he refuses to give in. Too much is on the line. With the crowd completely against him, any offense that he mounts against himself is seemingly useless.

“Don’t you see Ace? You can’t win. I am you. You are nothing.”[/i]

It is seemingly a squash match, Abe Cennett jobbing to Ace Bennett. And the fans love every second of it. Ace goes to the outside of the ring and reaches underneath. He pulls out a steel chair and shows it the crowd, who pop loudly. They want some of Abe’s blood. The blood hungry fans get what they wish as he slides the chair into the ring and the referee allows him to blatantly tear into Ace’s head with the steel chair. He feels his blood flow down his head. It is now a battle to retain consciousness. Just as he feels himself fading away:

“I thought you said this wasn’t going to hurt him!”

He looks around and cannot see where it is coming from. Ace stops the punishment because he hears it too. The crowd slowly dissipates away, once again leaving the bloodied Ace and the man who caused him to bleed.

“Ace, you have to pull through this.”

“A..A….Alicia?”

“You can make it Ace, I believe in you!”

“She’s wasting her breath. She’ll be in for quite a surprise once I finish you off.”

He swings the chair once more, but in a miraculous feat of strength, it is caught. He jerks it out of his hands and throws it.

“You think you can just walk all over me don’t you? Well your reign over me is over! I’m done taking orders from you when I know the right way to do things! You think I’m worthless without you? I’ve proven time and time again that I will be the WFWF World Heavyweight Champion one day, and that began long before you came around. You want pain? You want suffering? I can give you those things. I learned from the best, after all. But if you think for one second that you are going to be the one that comes out of this, if you think that you’re going to be the one to take on David Brennan, if you think that you’re going to be the one to win the WFWF World Heavyweight Championship, you have another thing coming. I have too much to fight for to just let you win!”

After that Dragon Ball Z inspired speech, Ace begins to successfully fight back against his assailant for the first time. The two trade fists and both men have both now drawn blood. Back and forth the men go until Ace finally gets the upper hand. In the corner, Ace begins to lay into himself. Blood begins to pour from his mouth, as the punches become more and more forceful.

“Wait….wait!”[/i]

Ace stops, letting his opponent catch his breath.

“Do you really want to do this to me? Do you have no mercy? After all we’ve been through, you’re just going to rid yourself of me, of yourself? You will regret this if you go through with it.”[/i]

Without saying anything, Ace lifts his weakened self up on the turnbuckle. A look of coldness across his face, he stares himself into the eyes for the last time.

“We’ve given him the medication. He should be back in a minute or two.”

He jumps up and hits the Syracuse Drop, cranking back all of his weight before spiking his head into the canvas.

“After all of those you’ve shown no mercy for. After Randel Benjamin, and Dave Demento. After Dane Tombs and Charles Colton. Hell, even after Thunder. After all of those men laid to waste at your hands, with no mercy, you want me to show it to you? You’re a coward, and I will be glad to finally be rid of you for good.”

Ace applies the Syracuse Lock on himself. He cranks back more and more until he is on the verge of tapping out. The crowd returns, now cheering for him and fully behind him, as he screams out, cranking back with all of his might. He taps out and the crowd cheers as the bell rings.

“Here is your winner, Ace Bennett!”

He celebrates, having rid himself of his greatest demon, until the crowd fades away to nothing, and he collapses.

Darkness.

---

It was a frantic car ride to Dr. Schwartz’ office. Raider had helped Alicia put Ace into her car, and then told her that she was on her own. Speeding wherever she didn’t think there was a chance of being pulled over, Alicia went H.A.M. as she drove down the highway. Checking back every now and again, she saw that her brother was stirring, as if he were having some sort of dream. She worried that he’d wake up before she could get him to Dr. Schwartz, and this just made her move that much faster. After avoiding six or seven car accidents, Alicia finally arrived at Dr. Schwartz office that was located on the outskirts of Las Vegas. She pulled in and parked, and locked her doors so that her brother couldn’t escape if he were to wake up while she was gone. She walks inside and sees that Dr. Schwartz is awaiting in the waiting room.

“Ah yes, Alicia. Have you come with Ace?”

“Yes! Yes! And I need help getting him in here before he wakes up! He’s stirring and I’m afraid it could be any second now!”

“I’ll have my men go and get him. Just give them your keys and come with me. We’ll have you all taken care of.”

She did as he said and gave her keys to one of the muscular men that was guarding the door to Dr. Schwartz’ actual office. There must’ve been some legit stuff going on up here if he needed bodyguards for his office. The man let her past as Dr. Schwartz led her into one of his “examining rooms” as he called it. All there seemed to be was a chair in an empty room with grey walls.

“This will be where we take a look at the boy. Now we just have to wait. How have you been, Miss Alicia?”

“Well thank you, I’m just glad that this worked.”

“Of course it worked, we are working with some of the most advanced technology in the medical field. This isn’t some witchcraft we are doing here.”

“I am grateful for what you have done for me. Now I can have my brother back.”

“Well we are grateful to you for bringing us such an interesting case. We hope that our studies can cure him of his disorder.”

“I hope so too.”

For the first time in a long time, there was hope in Alicia’s voice. Dr. Schwartz seemed so kind and intelligent. Maybe this was the best way to go about things, as extreme as it went down. The door swings open and the muscular man and one of his colleagues carry Ace into the room. They place him in the lone chair in the room. Dr. Schwartz looks at Ace for a second, as he notices him stirring. He pulls out a notebook.

“Henrick, if you would, bring me Ace’s medication please. I’d like to take some notes on his behavior right now.”

One of the two men leaves the room, as Dr. Schwartz circles the chair. He reaches down and wraps a couple of straps around Ace to restrain him from moving. Alicia looks hesitant about this and makes a motion for him to stop tying his brother.

“Alicia my dear, this is for mine and his safety. I don’t want anyone to get hurt.”

This eases her a little bit, but she notices that the stirring Ace was doing in the car has gotten dramatically worse. Dr. Schwartz is fervently taking notes down on a notebook as Ace begins fighting the restrictions, flailing his body around, to no avail. Still asleep, Ace begins to scream incomprehensible gibberish. Dr. Schwartz removes his glasses and begins rubbing his head, taking more notes as he goes.

“What’s wrong with him?”

“I’m not quite sure, if I’m being honest Alicia. It seems like he’s having a bit of a reaction to the shock.”

“I thought you said this wasn’t going to hurt him!”

“He’s in no physical pain, my dear, it’s just a mental thing. He has a mental illness, after all. I want to see how he will react if we take this a little further. It will be necessary to know for future treatment.”

Alicia approaches her brother, and puts her hand on his face. He is still flailing around a bit, but his screams have fallen silent.

“Ace, you have to pull through this.”

Ace’s flailing stops. He appears to be listening for something. Dr. Schwartz notices this and whispers something in his assistant’s ear. She sees this but pays no notice; she just wants her brother to wake up.

“You can make it Ace, I believe in you!”

Ace has gone completely still, and silent. Dr. Schwartz takes note of this in his notebook and he approaches Alicia, his hand on her shoulder. She stands there for another second, until the flailing returns, more violent than ever, and the screams louder than ever. Dr. Schwartz holds Alicia back, taking her out of harm’s way. The so-far unnamed assistant tries to restrain Ace further. Henrick finally returns with the pills, which he hands to the doctor.
“Aren’t you going to give those to him?”

“Give it a minute; I want to see how he reacts-”

“Please Dr. Schwartz, just give them to him! He isn’t some science experiment you know! He’s my brother! I don’t want to see him like this anymore!”

The doctor looks at Alicia, whose eyes are pleading him to stop the madness. His eyes, once harsh, are now softening.

“Alicia, I won’t be able to have you here any longer when we are examining Ace. This information would be crucial to our research to help for a cure, but I will go with your wishes this time. Henrick, Anton, would you restrain Ace’s arms so I can administer the medication.”

“Thank you.”

The doctor nods at Alicia as the two men hold back Ace’s arms. While he is fighting them, the doctor removes the medication from the bottle and puts it in his hands. He inserts it into Ace’s mouth, and makes sure that it is swallowed. His work done, he walks away from Ace and returns to his sister.

“We’ve given him the medication. He should be back in a minute or two.”

“Thank you so much doctor, I’ll be sure to stay in the waiting room from now. That was just a little too much for me to take.”

“I understand, that’s your little brother after all. We’ll take good care of him dear.”

“Thank you so much for giving me my brother back, I’ll be forever grateful to you.”

“It’s not a problem in the least bit Alicia. We hope to make it so-”

Ace tries sits up in his chair and lets out a big gasp. Garnering the attention of Henrick and Anton, Ace struggles with the restraints on his arms.

“LET ME OUT OF THESE THINGS!”

“Ace! Ace! Ace! I need you to calm down!”

“Calm down!?! Who are you? Get me out of this!”

“Ace?!?!”

This quiets him down immediately. The voice of his sister.

“Alicia?! Is that you?!”

Dr. Schwartz removes the restraints so Ace can sit up. As he does so, his eyes meet his sisters. Not being able to help herself, Alicia charges at her brother and wraps her arms around him. The two share in a warm embrace, making even the burly Henrick and Anton smile. Tears stream down Alicia’s face as she laughs, ecstatic with her reunion with her brother.

“Little brother, how I’ve missed you. The real you.”

“I’m here. It’s me. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay now Ace, I have you. We will get you taken care of.”

“Yes we will. You’re in good hands.”

“And you are?”

“Oh how rude of me! Allow me to introduce myself. I am Dr. Alexander Schwartz. I have doctorate degrees in neuroscience and psychology and am one of the world’s leaders in brain studies. I will be treating you for the foreseeable future. We want to make it so that you will no longer have to take medication for your disorder and be able to live a normal life.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, how exactly to you plan on doing that?”

“We have been developing a revolutionary treatment designed specifically for people with your disorder. You’ll be the first human subject to undergo such a treatment. We are happy to have found your sister here.”

“Sounds sketchy.”

“Ace, it’s either that, or risk you not taking your medication again and having this whole fiasco happen all over again. What do you have to lose?”

“We will go more in depth with what we will be doing at a later date. We have some screenings we need to do in the next few days to get you prepared for the treatment.”

“And if I refuse?”

“I hate to say it, but we will have to put you in a mental hospital, because you have evidenced that you are not fit to be among the population if you aren’t treated.”

“Will I still be able to wrestle?”

“Of course, you will be able to live your life as you were before. It will be a few hours a week out of your time, and that’s it.”

“I guess you leave me no choice.”

“Excellent. I shall be talking to you tomorrow a more in depth about you, your life, and your condition. I’ll be asking you to stay the night for just tonight, and then we’ll let you go after the questioning tomorrow. Does that sound alright Ace?”

“Sounds good to me.”

“Perfect. Anton, could you fetch me some sleeping medication. Ace here needs some rest. It’s going to be a big day tomorrow. Alicia, we’ll see you tomorrow.”

“But I want to visit.”

“You will in time, my dear. He needs rest right now. It’s quite late you know.”

“I guess you’re right. I’ll talk to you tomorrow little brother. Just like old times.”

“Wait Alicia don’t-”

Before he can finish what he has to say, Alicia leaves the room with a wave. Anton walks into the room with a syringe. Ace simply holds out his arm for the doctor, knowing full well what is coming. The doctor inserts the needle into his arm, and before Ace can count to ten, he is clinched by the deep embrace of slumber.

---

As he awakens, Ace is met with the smell of freshly cooked bacon. That’s right, bacon. If there’s one smell that will wake Ace Bennett up when he only got five hours of sleep, it is bacon. Screw Braden Munroe, tofurkey sucks. When that heavenly smell entered his nostrils, Ace shot up and out of his chair, ready to eat breakfast. To his surprise, there was a full plate of food on a table that must’ve been wheeled in while he was sleeping. Not worrying about a chair, Ace scarfed the plate down in a matter of minutes; he hadn’t ate since before Loaded the night prior. With his belly full and his curiosity peaked, Ace decided to explore around the office. Well, at least he tried to. He was locked in the room he had slept in the night prior. Banging on the door, Ace tried whatever he could to get out, until the door eventually opened.

“I’m surprised to see you awake so early, Ace. You had quite the ordeal. How did you sleep?”

“Like a rock.”

“I’m going to go ahead and assume that’s a good thing, come this way Ace, we’ll get you out of here in an hour or so.”

Dr. Schwartz motioned Ace out of the door, and he led him to a new room. This room looked like one of those interrogation rooms that you’d see in one of those crime shows on TV. The placard on the door read “Interview Room” so Ace could only assume he was about to be interviewed.

“Go ahead doc, fire away with the questions. I want to get outta here. Got some lost time that I need to spend with the sister.”

“Absolutely. I am going to ask you some questions. They should be pretty easy. They will be about you, and your condition. I will be taking notes, just jotting down my observations. It will help us help you when we get to the treatment phase of this whole operation. I’ll be asking in quick succession, so if I speak too fast or you need a question repeated just let me know.”

“Alright, shoot.”

“Where did you grow up?”

“On the outskirts of Syracuse, New York. Near the mountains.”

“Oh that must’ve been nice. Did you have a good family life?”

“Not really.”

“Would you like to delve deeper into that?”

“Not really.”

“Fair enough. What kind of education did you get.”

“Dropped out of high school.”

“How come?”

“Didn’t like the people I was around. I got violent too easy.”

“Would you say this was because of your illness?”

“Probably, I never really took the medication every single day until I got into wrestling.”

“How did you get into wrestling?”

“I was young, just joined up a few local places. Get my name around you know? Next thing I know I’m approached by a WFWF Talent Scout who wants me to wrestle for them. And that’s how I got where I am today.”

“Do you enjoy wrestling?”

“It’s an escape for me.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I don’t know, I guess I like when the fans are behind me and I’m kicking someone’s ass. You could say it lets loose a lot of hidden aggressions that I have within myself.”

“So when did you stop taking your medication.”

“Oh God, I have no idea. It was right around the time I have David Brennan for the first time.”

“David Brennan?”

“My opponent for my next match.”

“Alright, so it’s been a while then?”

“I’d say so. Couldn’t tell you exactly how long though. The days sort of melt together for me. Especially those days.”

“I see. So what exactly happened when you stopped taking the medication?”

“He appeared.”

“Who appeared exactly?”

“I don’t know, the best way to describe it was that I appeared.”

“Was this person like you?”

“Not at all. He was a much more evil version of me. He would make me do things that I could never do on my own.”

“Like what?”

“Push Alicia for one. But I also kind of choked out a couple of guys in the WFWF with a steel chain, effectively ending their careers. So there’s that.”

“How exactly would he get you to do these things?”

“He would just sort of appear out of a mirror and take over my body. I was forced to watch myself do these things. I couldn’t do anything about it. I’d really rather not talk about this.”

“We need to talk about this if you want us to help you. But I think I’ve got what I need in regards to that. So what’s on your mind now that all of this is done? I’m sure you have plenty of questions.”

“Not really. I’m more concerned about David Brennan and Survival of the Fittest right now, if I’m being completely honest. This is out of my control. I’m going to worry about something I can control. I’m guessing you put my meds in that food I ate this morning? You don’t have to worry, I have no intention of getting off of them again.”

“Yeah, the medication was in your food. I will give you your prescription when we are done. So David Brennan, do you two have issues?”

“You could say that.”

“Care to elaborate?”

“Well, let’s just say that he represents everything that I hate. And I want to do everything in my power to make sure that even if it isn’t me, that it is definitely not him that wins Survival of the Fittest and gets a WFWF World Heavyweight Championship shot.”

“And what would that be?”

“He is an alcoholic who will do whatever it takes to get to the top, including ride the coattails of those who are more talented than him. I’ve always been about earning my opportunities based on my own merits, not those of others. And up until recently, I would only do the right things in regards to getting my shots. I plan to return to that now that I’m back to my normal self.”

“I think that will be all for today Ace. We’ve got enough information on your for the time being. This along with what your sister provided us should allow us to move forward after your match with Mr. Brennan.”

“So I’m free to leave?”

“Yes sir, I’ll call Henrick and have him show you the way out. I know that your sister is out there waiting ”

“Sweet. Perfect. Thanks doc. I’ll see you later.”

Henrick walks into the room if as on a timer, which can probably be explained by the two way mirror in the room. He motions for Ace who shows him on his way out. As Ace leaves the interview room, Dr. Schwartz pulls out a recording device and presses a button.

”Interview number one has been completed. Subject seems reserved and untrusting. Does not answer questions in complete sentences and in some cases does not want to elaborate. Tense at times. Medication has taken well, and we will continue to monitor his progress with future interviews and experimentations. Brain scan while sleeping was normal. We will work further to gain subject’s trust in upcoming meetings.”

Henrick took Ace down the corridor towards the exit. Ace examined his surroundings, looking into the various rooms, despite the fact that Henrick’s hulking form blocked most of views that were on his side of him. It was strange, it appeared like a doctor’s office on the outside. But it was as if there was something more than simple medical examinations going on here. There were a lot of test tubes and beakers containing weird fluids that Ace has never seen in a regular hospital. It was more of a science lab than a doctor’s office. What kind of weird crap has Alicia gotten into this time? Henrick took him through one final door, which led to a waiting room of sorts. There sat Alicia, who he was sure had gotten there bright and early. She shot straight up upon seeing her brother and ran towards him, she wrapped her arms around him and the two shared in an embrace that was not to be interrupted this time, as Henrick simply walked back to the back and locked the door behind him. The two shared in their hug for about ten minutes before either stirred.

“How have you been sis?”

“Busy. And worried sick. But I’m perfect now.”

Her smile was back, that was for sure. Her face gave off the indication that she hadn’t slept much in a year or so. But through the wear and tear, that smile instantly made everything that was going on in Ace’s life okay. The two leave Dr. Schwartz’ office; undoubtedly not for the last time, and get into Alicia’s car.

“So what’s the plan?”

“I figured we could go out for lunch or something. I know you got a big match coming up.”

“Sounds perfect. All that talk to Doctor Crazyface got me hungry.”

“Dr. Schwartz is a good guy. He’s the one responsible to getting you back to normal. I don’t want to hear any of that Doctor Crazyface stuff. You owe him a lot.”

“Well excuse me for being sketched out by someone who basically wanting to make me his science experiment. How did you get me there anyways? Last thing I remember I was at a party.”

“Remember how you and Brad had that matching wrestling gear for the tag team match? Doctor Schwartz put a microscopic electric chip in there. I guess it was just the right amount of electricity to shut your body down to get you to his office and get you back on medication. I pressed the switch when you were at the party. Thankfully you couldn’t change because of that party.”

“A microchip? You serious? You can’t tell me you aren’t slightly sketched out by this guy. I mean sure, I’m back to normal, but God knows what kind of crazy crap this guy wants to do to me in his next few meetings. And you’re calling Raider by his first name now?”

“Yeah, we became acquainted through all of this. But, that’s beside the point. I mean, sure, his methods are a little……unorthodox. But what he’s done so far has done the job meant to be done, so I’m going to trust him until something goes wrong. He hasn’t given me a reason not to.”

“I don’t trust that easily.”

“I know you don’t Ace, but we don’t really have a choice at this point.”

“Unfortunately.”

“Where do you want to eat?”

“I don’t’ care.”

“That doesn’t tell me anything.”

“Uhhhh…..there’s a Lenny’s right there. That’s fine.”

“Ew, Lenny’s is gross.”

“Why did you ask me what I want then?”

Ace gives his sister a corny smile, which she responds by pushing his arm. The two have a bit of a pushing fight before nearly getting in a car accident. That usually happens when these two are in a front seat together. But they haven’t gotten anyone killed, so it’s alright. Right? Right? Alicia eventually picks a place for them to eat, an Emerald Thursday’s. If only I could think of better generic restaurant names to come up with. Oh well, Emerald Thursday’s it is. The two walk in and get a seat. They waitress takes their order, and all of that unimportant stuff that I’m not going to write about because it would just be filler anyways. Alicia and Ace sit in the restaurant, which is your typical family chain restaurant.

“How are your fries?”

“Pretty good I suppose. I like the ones you make better.”

“Well that’s because my fries are boss.”

“I can give you that one I guess, don’t get too cocky.”

“Me cocky? Never!”

“Oh yeah, totally. I hope you know what you’ve gotten yourself into.”

“What do you mean?”

“With The New Epoch.”

“I do.”

“You sure? They’re some pretty bad dudes.”

“It’s not like I have to fight all three of them at the same time, it’s just Brennan for now. Drakz and Kyzer will be for later. Plus I have Raider on my side.”

“But if you fight one, you could very well be fighting them all.”

“The other guys are going to be busy with other things. Drakz and Kyzer both have separate title matches on the show. It’ll be just me and Brennan there.”

“You’ve already lost to him twice.”

“I’m aware. You think things are a little different now?”

“How so? You mean with you being on your pills again?”

“Yeah, I don’t have that clogging my brain now. It’s funny, I claimed myself to be free when I was off of them, but now that I’m back on them, I am in more control than I’ve had in a very long time. Brennan is the ultimate coat tail rider. And I’ll have the unpredictability factor on my side.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, have you seen some of the things that I’ve been doing these past few weeks. Well not me, but my person, but you catch the drift. People have been coming to every show wondering what the hell I’m going to do next. I’ll have that in Brennan’s mind going into the match. And you know what Brennan represents. Some of these nasty things I’ve done to these newbies? I’m completely willing to do them to Brennan, and I’m of a right mind right now. I’ve become sort of an enigma, and people are taking notice.”

“What could you possibly do that’s any different than what you’ve done these past few weeks.”

“I have some things in mind. Trust me.”

“I always do, Ace. You know what you’re doing. I’m just giving you my advice. Be careful out there. Brennan knows what he’s doing too.”

“Thanks for worrying about me.”

Gentle push from Ace as the two receives their food. The two continue their conversation.

“If I don’t worry about you, who will?”

“Nobody I guess. Thanks for everything big sis.”

“I’m here for ya.”

“I’m sorry, for everything.”

“It’s in the past little brother. You made a mistake and you know it was a mistake. I’m just glad to have you back. All that’s left is keeping it that way.”

“Planned on it.”

“I would certainly hope so.”

The two complete their meal shortly thereafter, after talking about some things that aren’t really important to the plot right now. So we’ll just stop here and say that they left and went to Alicia’s apartment after, Ace ready to fight at Survival of the Fittest.

---

”My oh my how things come full circle. It was just a few months ago where I was facing one David Brennan, in a tournament, for a shot at a championship. Of course, David Brennan ended up coming out on top on that occasion, and I will give him credit for that. He was the better man that night, and I have no excuses for that loss. And now here we are again, Ace Bennett going one on one with David Brennan. WFWF’s resident sociopath taking on WFWF’s resident raging alcoholic, well one of them at least. A lot has changed in such a short period of time, and I think it says a lot about the career paths of the two of us going into the future.”

“Myself? I dusted myself off and stepped up to challenge the returning Raider, my partner. I defeated the WFWF Hall of Famer, and earned his respect. Along with Raider, I have torn up the tag team division, with neither man carrying the other, as seen in our single’s success against the former tag champs, Ripp Jackson and Thunder. I defeated yet another Hall of Famer on my own merit, with no help from others. My star is rising once again, and I’m reaching heights that I’ve never reached before?”

“Now let’s talk about David Brennan. What exactly have you done since you beat me? You beat Mak Cross and Tabitha Owens? That’s cute; I remember when I beat Tabitha Owens when she was actually relevant. You took out AJ King? Hmm, that’s funny because I seem to remember absolutely destroying two men the week prior in a similarly brutal way. I didn’t know we were playing the ‘Let’s Copy Ace Bennett’ game, but I’m truly flattered. What else have you done? Nothing but lose and ride the coattails of the rest of The New Epoch. Drakz, Drake Elias, and Raider all put your shoulders to the mat and pinned you one, two, three. So when you walk around gloating about how The New Epoch won a Cage Match against Raider, Drake Elias, and myself, it really makes me laugh.”

“You see, going into that match, you were the absolute last person I was worried about. I was even more worried about that little midget that Kyzer walks around with. You wanna know why? Because you are all hype, who just happens to be backed by the right people. If it weren’t for Kyzer and Drakz, you would’ve been the one laying in your own blood that night, not me.”

“As I sit here and ponder, I realize that you have truly done nothing of note since joining the WFWF. You’re claims to fame right now are being associated with Michael Kyzer and losing to Drakz twice in two sort of close matches. Want to know what I’ve done? I’ve won championships. I’ve defeated Hall of Famers. I’ve beaten Triple Crown and Grand Slam Champions. I’ve ended careers. What have you done? Made a couple of powerful friends.”

“I’ve been called a sociopath. I’ve been called a psycho. I’ve been called ruthless, uncaring, insane, and several other off colored things that I probably can’t say without being censored. But at least I still have my dignity. You walk around claiming to be this big shot. But I can guarantee you if Michael Kyzer and Drakz weren’t there, you wouldn’t even be facing me right now. You wouldn’t be in the marquee Survival of the Fittest Qualifier. You wouldn’t be one of the men to beat. You wouldn’t be any of those things. And you fail to see it, because of who you are friends with.”

“It’s quite funny too. I’m of my right mind. I’ve gotten better mentally. I would be what you would call ‘stable.’ But the things I want to do to you David Brennan, for all that you’ve done. For the glass you smashed in my face, for every drop of poison you’ve put into your body, and above all for disgracing yourself by joining the likes of The New Epoch, only to do nothing and be successful based on name value alone. I’m going to make sure that you drop a few pegs at Survival of the Fittest. I will make sure that everyone sees you for the hype monger that you are. And you will bleed. You will feel pain. I will make sure that you get concussed when your skull is planted into that canvas with that Syracuse Drop.”

“As for the rest of the competitors of the Survival of the Fittest Tournament. Make no mistake; there is a reason why many consider that the winner of my qualifying match will win the entire thing. That reason being that I have earned every opportunity that I have ever gotten, and I have been on the edge of succeeding every single chance I have had. So whether it be Mak Cross, or Ripp Jackson, or Cam Nitta, or Drake Elias, or anyone else, you are put on notice. When we get into that chamber, it will be take no prisoners. I will single handedly eliminate every single person who stands between me and my WFWF World Heavyweight Championship opportunity. You are looking at the future of this company, and it is not David Brennan, it is not anyone else. It is Ace Bennett. And you can bank on that.”

“I’ve won tougher battles than this one against myself. I think I’ve got this one.”

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